The Journey is the Destination

The Old Man of the Mountain: New Hampshire

After we went up the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway, we decided to visit the Old Man of the Mountain site. Sadly, the man collapsed years ago but what they have done with the place is touching and we wanted to show my sister.

First, we had lunch at one of their picnic tables. And then visited the visitor’s area before walking down to the location.

For those of you that don’t know, the Old Man of the Mountain used to be a huge symbol for New Hampshire. So big, he was on the state coin! But now, he’s crumbled, faceless, mere space on the mountain. Poor guy. It just hasn’t been the same since 2003 when his natural granite structure collapsed underneath the force of elements and weight.

The Old Man inspired many and has been referred to in several books. The short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Great Stone Face described it as “playful nature” although I would describe it as hard and determined.

Supporters of the Old Man felt the sadness of this loss and created a viewing area for what once was. The constructed steel poles with a grooved out edge on a plate that when lined up just right creates an image of the man on the mountain where he used to be. They call it Old Man of the Mountain Profile Plaza. It’s a really neat concept and with the photos depicting it’s history, along with these profiles, one can truly imagine what he looked like.